Lone Maslocha
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Anna Louise Christine "Lone" Maslocha, also Masłocha, née Mogensen (26 October 1921 – 3 January 1945) was a Polish-born Danish photographer who became a
resistance fighter A resistance movement is an organized group of people that tries to resist or try to overthrow a government or an occupying power, causing disruption and unrest in civil order and stability. Such a movement may seek to achieve its goals through ei ...
during the
German occupation of Denmark At the outset of World War II in September 1939, Denmark declared itself neutral, but that neutrality did not prevent Nazi Germany from occupying the country soon after the outbreak of war; the occupation lasted until Germany's defeat. The ...
in
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. She was associated with the Polish-English intelligence service and with the Danish resistance movement
Holger Danske Holger may refer to: People * Holger (given name), includes name origin, plus people with the name * Hilde Holger, stage name of dancer, choreographer and dance teacher Hilde Boman-Behram (née Hilde Sofer, 1905–2001) Fictional characters * H ...
and worked for the prominent Danish resistance member '' Citronen''. She was shot by the
Gestapo The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated Gestapo (), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of F ...
together with her Polish husband on the night of 2 to 3 January, shortly after they had married on
New Year's Eve In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve refers to the evening, or commonly the entire day, of the last day of the year, 31 December, also known as Old Year's Day. In many countries, New Year's Eve is celebrated with dancing, eating, drinkin ...
. Lone died on the spot, while her husband died eight days later in the German hospital on Nyelandsvej.


Early life and education

Born on 26 October 1921 in Klucze, Poland, Anna Louise Christine Mogensen was the daughter of the Danish engineer Knud Mogensen (1881–1943) and his wife Louise (née Friis). The youngest of three children, she was raised in Poland where her father was an employee of the Danish cement firm
FLSmidth FLSmidth & Co. A/S is a Danish multinational technology company based in Copenhagen, Denmark. With almost 11,000 employees worldwide, it provides the global mining and cement industries with equipment and services. For the mining industry, the co ...
. As a result of disturbing developments in Poland, the family returned to Denmark, where she attended Snoghøj Gymnastikhøjskole before being trained as a photographer by Rigmor Mydtskov.


Participation in the resistance movement

From the autumn of 1939, together with the other members of her family, Lone Mogensen took up contact with the Polish emigration authorities in order to assist the Polish refugees who travelled to Denmark after the
German invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939 (1 September – 6 October 1939), was a joint attack on the Second Polish Republic, Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak R ...
. As a keen member of the
Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
's youth movement, together with her two brothers she became involved in the resistance, contributing to the clandestine journals ''Studenternes Efterretningstjeneste'' (from 1942) and ''Hjemmefronten'' (1943). She took photographs for the renowned resistance fighter
Jørgen Haagen Schmith Jørgen Haagen Schmith, also spelled Jørgen Haagen Schmidt (18 December 1910 – 15 October 1944), known during the war by the codename , was a renowned fighter in the Danish resistance movement during the German Occupation of Denmark (1940– ...
of the
Holger Danske Holger may refer to: People * Holger (given name), includes name origin, plus people with the name * Hilde Holger, stage name of dancer, choreographer and dance teacher Hilde Boman-Behram (née Hilde Sofer, 1905–2001) Fictional characters * H ...
group, better known by his codename Citronen. Her involvement brought her into contact with her husband-to-be, Lieutenant Lucjan Masłocha, who from autumn 1943 headed the Polish resistance in Denmark, maintaining ties both with London and Poland. Together they worked in espionage, radio telegraphy and as couriers between Denmark and Sweden. When she was in Sweden, she also used the names Inge Sørensen, Inga Söndergaard and Maja Matjeka. The couple moved together to a house on Hans Jensensvej in
Gentofte Gentofte () is a district of Gentofte Municipality in the northern suburbs of Copenhagen, Denmark. Major landmarks include Gentofte Town Hall, Gentofte Hospital and Gentofte Church. Gentofte Lake with surrounding parkland and nature reserves form ...
, just north of Copenhagen, escaping arrest when the Polish resistance network was discovered by the Germans in spring 1944. They continued to collaborate with the Danish members of ''Studenternes Efterretningstjeneste''. On New Year's Eve 1944, they were secretly married in Copenhagen's Roman Catholic
St. Ansgar's Church St. Ansgar's Church is a parish church of the Roman Catholic Church in Norway, Roman Catholic Church in Kristiansand, Norway. It is the only Roman Catholic church building in Agder county in Southern Norway. The first church was built in 1936. ...
. Their marriage lasted only two days as during the night of 2 to 3 January 1945, they were discovered in a locked room by a Gestapo patrol at around 1.30 am, while hiding in the house at 44 Hans Jensensvej. The patrol leader shot through the door with his machine pistol, killing Lone Maslocha on the spot and wounding her husband who died eight days later (stories vary). Both are buried at the
Ryvangen Memorial Park Ryvangen Memorial Park () is a memorial park in Ryvangen officially inaugurated on 5 May 1950 to commemorate fallen members of the Danish resistance to the German occupation of Denmark during World War II. The location in ''Ryvangen'', which m ...
, Denmark. Lucjan Masłocha is the only foreigner buried there."Polski Orzeł nad Ryvangen"
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Commemoration

At a ceremony held at Copenhagen's Mindelunden Cemetery on 9 November 2013, Professor Palle Roslyng-Jensen of Copenhagen University delivered a speech in which he told of Lucjan and Lone Masłocha's death and their involvement in the Polish resistance movement in Denmark. He explained that Lucjan Masłocha was the only foreigner buried at the Mindelunden Cemetery and his wife Lone Mogensen, the only woman.


Decorations

*1945: Silver Cross of the Order of
Virtuti Militari The War Order of Virtuti Militari (Latin: ''"For Military Virtue"'', ) is Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy at war. It was established in 1792 by the last King of Poland Stanislaus II of Poland, ...
(no. 11 131) posthumously


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maslocha, Lone 1921 births 1945 deaths People from Olkusz County Photographers from Copenhagen Danish resistance members Danish female resistance members Polish resistance members of World War II Polish women in World War II resistance 20th-century Danish photographers 20th-century Danish women photographers People executed by Nazi Germany by firearm Deaths by firearm in Denmark Resistance members killed by Nazi Germany Danish civilians killed in World War II Polish civilians killed in World War II Polish emigrants to Denmark Holger Danske resistance group